River Falls leads nation in use of renewable energy

River Falls Municipal Utilities (RFMU) continues to lead by example in the use of renewable energy. The utility ranked ninth in the nation on the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) annual ranking of leading utility green power programs.

Based on 2007 customer participation rates, 5.3 percent of RFMU’s residential customers purchased green power equal to all or a portion of their electricity usage. The municipally owned utility of River Falls is the only Wisconsin utility to make the “Top 10” list for customer participation rates.

Community members in River Falls purchase electricity from clean, green sources by participating in their utility’s Renewable Energy Program. Customers pay $3.00 per month for blocks of renewable energy equal to some of all of their monthly electric usage. A block is the equivalent of 300 kilowatt-hours of electricity.

“River Falls understands the importance of supporting renewable energy, and it is great to see that support translate into action,” Mayor Don Richards said. “Through our community’s national leadership in the use of renewable energy, River Falls continues to demonstrate its commitment to contributing to a better energy future.”

The utility’s renewable program is provided through its nonprofit power supplier, Wisconsin Public Power Inc. (WPPI). RFMU is a member-owner of WPPI.

The current NREL “Top 10” list marks the third time River Falls has earned national recognition for its successful green power program performance. Last year, RFMU earned the no. 9 spot for its 2006 customer participation rate. In 2005, RFMU was no. 10 on the list.

As a national leader, RFMU continually makes strides to boost energy efficiency and environmental stewardship, promote broad energy awareness and conservation, and advance renewable energy. The community-owned utility recently launched its POWERful Choices! campaign to educate its residential customers about the value of energy efficiency and ways the utility can help residents save energy and money while protecting the environment.

Using information provided by utilities, NREL develops “Top 10” rankings of utility programs in the following categories: total sales of renewable energy to program participants, total number of customer participants, customer participation rate, green power sales as a percentage of total utility retail electricity sales, and the lowest price premium charged for a green power program using new renewable resources. The lists are compiled each year based on United States utilities’ green power program performance in the previous year.

NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy’s primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. To view NREL’s “Top 10” lists, visit http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/resources/tables/topten.shtml.